Dreaming the Evolution of Angels and Glaciers
by Luna Tiger
Summary: was: Angelic Dreams // Warren Worthington III goes through the change from birdman to the seraph we know and love: -my- Evo-style. Slightly slashy, not-so-slight with random-place comic charas, much AU junk, and God knows what else. Part 3 revise
1. Part 1

  
  
**Disclaimer**: X-Men Evolution does not belong to me... if it did, this story would be very cannon-y. Slash, m/m pairing, get the jist of it. :B This is my prayer that 'On Angels' Wings' is actually about Warren getting his cute, rich butt on the show and making everything better... considering you'd have the original five X-Men there.... o_o or am I wrong again?.. Oh well. ^_^ Must have third blue boy! Yee~haw! 

And for the record, :B I'm not too well educated in personalities or even the Marvel world, so cut me some slack, would you? 

* * *

**Angelic Dreams**  
Part 1 

_The world was bright and clean, not tainted like what he knew. The trees were as green as they were in storybooks. The breeze was babysoft on his bare skin, the sun was warm, and the air rung with music. _

_He lay on his back, watching the clouds go by. He saw then some oddly-shaped ones, such as a fire-breathing turtle, a sleeping cat, and, remarkably, a sailboat. But there was one that was very peculiar-looking, almost real as it traveled infront of the sun. The cloud looked like outstretched wings. The hole in the middle.. looked like a man, with sky-blue skin that wore those wings. And as the sun skimmed over the top of the opening, the light gave it the affect that the shape had golden hair. _

_It was, refreshing in a way, that an angel, even one of the clouds, was watching over him. Sometimes, your life never does go right and all you really need is a shoulder to lean on. _

_But as he watched the sky, a subtle darkness loomed out of sight, for the moment. A dream may be just a dream, but it was a very powerful element if used properly.._

* * *

"Ow! Ju~bes!" 

Jubilee waved her fork at the would-be thief menacingly. "Serves you right. Next time, you'll think twice about stealing /my/ apple slices." 

The others around the dinning table (who were actually paying attention) snickered as Bobby rubbed his offending hand and pouted at the asian girl, throwing at her his bundled adorability and innocence into the equation. "But you took the last of the Delicious apples!" 

It worked unsuccessfully. "Then find other.. 'delicious' apple to eat. They're all the same." 

Bobby nearly went cross eyed at the explanation that ran through his mind and decided not to add more confusion between them; he shut up, for once. And breakfast went on as it always did: in chaos. 

Getting ready for school after that was less of a battle. The slackers rushed to finish their homework from the day before, the late wakers rushed for the showers, and the designated drivers rushed for their passengers to get into the cars. After all, none of them were like Quicksilver with the 'amazing' ability to get from point A to point B in 4.8 seconds. 

Maybe Cannonball, though... if he could ever learn how to manipulate his powers to a higher degree than bursting through walls. 

And soon, it was just another day of painfully boring lessons, gym, and Brotherhood harrassment. 

* * *

**Elsewhere...**

"You know, Warren, you've been looking a bit on the grey side these days. Are you alright?" 

California was a great place to live, if you were in the right area. But sometimes, you could be in a wonderful spot and never see what's around you. So was the case for the students in a remote boarding school, located in the northern part of the state. Surrounded by walls and held in until the weekend, the students were restricted. 

Or, most of them were. 

"I feel fine. Though when the nurse saw me, she said I spent too much time inside. Not enough sun for me." 

"This can't be from lack of sun." 

"Don't know what it could be then." 

Two young men had a break from their classes and were currently enjoying each other's company, the light, salty winds from the west, and the left-overs from breakfast. And when others passed by, all they saw were two blondes, one golden, one sickly pale, sitting under one of the few trees in the courtyard. 

"Maybe you should see a real doctor. Something could be seriously wrong." 

"Oh yeah, like the extra limbs on my back aren't wrong enough." 

St. John smiled dryly and eyed the large coat his friend wore, taking a large bite out of the sesame muffin swiped from the cafeteria. "Speaking of that little bit, don't you think that it's risky to stay here? Someone's gonna wonder why you wear that thing everywhere... and they're still growing." 

Warren shook his head. "You know that I said I wouldn't let it ruin my education. Unlike you, the destructive pyromaniac of my life, I can't hide them, but I refuse to let it hinder me." 

"'Ren, what are you going to do if they get too big to hide? Who the hell's gonna hire a man with wings on their back??" 

"Oh for god sake's, John. I have /wings/. What kind of mutant is dangerous if all they have is wings? I'd think that something more threatening to safety would be ... someone who could walk through walls or.. crap, I don't know, have uncontrollable eyebeams. Hell, even a shapeshifter would be more dangerous than a bird man." 

"Do you think there are people who could do that?" 

"I really have no idea." 

* * *

Cerebro's systems slowly powered down and Professor Xavier's mind was brought back to the physical plane. There was something strange about the mutant the computer had just picked up. Apparently, his X-gene had already shown it's intent, but only now did Cerebro pick up on the mutation. 

_Warren Worthington III... Would you care to join us?_

He placed the helm back on the console and turned his chair around, leaving the large room and locking it down. He had to go see a Dean about a transfer. 

* * *

Warren couldn't sit still as the science teacher droned on about stuff people only paid half attention to. His back was itching again and, to his dismay, meant only one thing. The worry it caused was nearly pulling wrinkles no his face. 

The blonde didn't have the slightest idea how far his feathery assets would grow this time and if the growth spurt went beyond the coat's limit, then not only would it be difficult to rehide them, but the entire student body would panic as a lovely bonus prize. Warren grimaced. 

Ever since the doctors told him, right after a bicycle accident, he'd always wondered why he was born with hollow bones, like a bird's skeleton. But when he hit his fourteen, Warren began to realize the answer. The same doctors, when they saw the tiny feathered muscles sticking out of his back, were about ready to split him open. He was only lucky that his father cared enough about him to shut them up. 

And they grew a little more once every month. And now, at seventeen, it was a secret that was getting harder and harder to hide. St. John was convinced that never a more splendid mutation had ever been produced. Of course, Mr. Aussie Allerdyce had only come across a telepath, an empath, and a sort of geomancer in his time. He was still looking for that last one too... Warren frowned. John had said something about feeling a kinship with him, yet couldn't for the sake of himself know why. 

As the man upfront continued to babble on, Warren sighed and looked down at the back of his hand. Something about it itched too. Well, not a real itch. More like something small and prickly was crawling around under his skin.. John was probably right. He needed to see a doctor about this.. or something. 

"Mr. Worthington?" 

"Huh?" He snapped out of his thoughts with a jerk, looking down from the tier to the floor below. "Yes, Mr. Chordsdale?" 

"Dean Marter would like to see you right away." 

"...Oh... Does that mean right now?" 

The elderly man nodded. "If you would, please." 

Warren gathered his things quickly and left the room in the same manner. It was the last class he had to attend for the day, but he didn't really mind getting out ten minutes early.. _But what could the Dean want with me?_ he mused, drawing his brows together. He had never done anything wrong.. that he was aware of, anyway. 

_Maybe.. he knows about my mutation? But how....?_

_...Am I molting?!_ With dreaded paranoia, he looked behind himself and across the floor his path had taken him. No white feathers lined the green carpetting, but that still didn't ease his alarm. But all too soon, he reached Marter's outer office and, to the secretary, said, "Hi.. Um, the Dean sent for me?" 

"You're Warren?" 

"Yes, ma'am." 

The woman smiled kindly and nodded. "I doubt you're in trouble, Mr. Worthington. You seem like a very nice man to me." 

With a light blush on his face, Warren gave an embarrassed grin in return. "Thank you, ma'am." 

The secretary gave another nod and buzzed the head of the school through the intercom on her desk. "Sir, Warren Worthington is here." 

_"Send him in, please."_

That was the blonde's cue to walk through the door without another word. Beyond the barrier of wood was a very nice, spacious office. Oh sure, it was cluttered in some areas, but it was relatively... homey. And beyond the desk was a man in his late forties, grey hairs making themselves comfortable in the thinning nest of brown. 

But he wasn't alone. There were two other men with him. One was an aging man in a motorized wheelchair, with perceptive eyes and no hair at all. The other, standing beside him like an unmoving sentry, was a not too tall, stocky man with a very wild and primal look to him. He seemed about as, if not more, observant than his companion. 

The Dean motioned for the boy to enter. "Please, if you'd have a seat, Warren." 

Warren did as he was told, trying not to look between the two stangers and Dean Marter. And the latter began beating around the bush a bit. "Don't worry, Warren. You are /not/ in trouble. This is merely an interview." 

"Ummm..." It wasn't the most intellegent thing to say, but it was all that he really could say. The man in the wheelchair rolled closer. "Yes, it is. My name is Professor Charles Xavier and I wanted to discuss with you the possibility of transferring your academics to my school in Bayville, Conneticut." 

Warren turned in his chair, blinking. "Is there.. a reason?" 

Xavier nodded. "Yes, I run a school for special and talented students, who feel they are missing something in their lives. Your records show you are very intelligent, but have mathmatical problems and nothing so far has seemed to work." He paused for a moment to study the body before him. "I would be honored if you would care to return with us to Conneticut and see if we could help you overcome that problem." 

Warren now did begin shifting his sight between the Dean and the Professor. Something seemed... off about the proposal. Granted, the though of having tutors give him one last chance at arithmetic was wonderful, but there was a hidden message in there somewhere. Something he just couldn't put his fingers on... "That... would be great, but..." He trailed off, unsure. 

Professor Xavier frowned and seemed to still for a moment, before turning to Marter to ask, "Is it alright if you excuse yourself from the room, please, Dean? I would like to talk to Warren alone." 

Marter caught Warren's gaze. "Is that alright with you?" 

"It's okay." 

Marter was out of the room in three heartbeats and when the door closed, the unnamed man began rolling up his sleeve. A blonde eyebrow rose, but Xavier stole his attention back to himself. "We'd like to help you, Warren, not only with your mental block, but also with the changes you are going through." 

"What..." He licked his lips, nervously. "What do you mean? I'm not changing.." 

Xavier sighed. "Would be as so kind to remove your jacket?." 

Warren shook his head fiercely. _Okay, creepy guy looking to get all physical and this guy knows... ... Mutant hunters???_ This was just a bit too much all at once. The teen stood up and crossed to the other side of the room.. just to be safe. "There's something you're not telling me." 

"I understand. ...Logan?" 

The other man complied to the unauthorized command silently. Warren's eyes widened as a single, metal claw pushed out between his knuckles with a sharp 'shrnk'. A million thoughts passed through his mind, but they thinned to nothing but a blank when the man lowered the claw onto his explosed arm and sliced it open. Warren's jaw slacked as the claw returned to its place in Logan's arm, but what was transfixing...were the impossible speeds the wounds, both the arm and the knuckle, were healing at. It was... incredible. 

**"Do you see now? My school is for mutants, just like you."**

Warren pulled himself away from the sealed wound to the Professor, confused. "Did you say something?" 

**"Yes,"** he said... without moving his mouth. **"I am also a mutant, gifted with a very advanced telepathic mind. My, associate, Logan, has an excelled healing factor."** Logan nodded sternly. **"And we would like to help you cope with your own mutation. Do you still want to leave your coat on? It must be very warm."**

It felt like a dream. Warren bit his lip and, reluctantly, removed the long, cotton-woven coat. It was literally their turn for the wide eyes. 

Like skin being bared, the moment seemed intimate as one of the snow white wings were revealed. It shook slightly, uncramping from its tight confinement and extended as Warren freed the other one, which did the same thing. 

Xavier's expression was one of utter surprise, while Logan cocked his head and raised an eyebrow. It was silent for the moment before Logan stated dry, "And for the longest time, I wondered why it smelt like feathers when you walked in here." 

Warren bowed his head in embarrassment. "They really aren't much, just a pain and a burden." 

"Well, we can still help you, Warren. But, if I may be as so bold... Are you capable of flight?" 

"...Yes. Yes, I can fly. But only for so far; my wings are still... growing, actually." 

Xavier hmmed to himself. "That's not a problem. Warren, the Institute is a place for mutants to find refuge. We take everyone who wants to learn control and understanding." 

Warren looked up at them then, bringing a hand up to rub against his nape. "Like I said, what you are offering sounds like a dream come true, but I think I'd rather stay here. It's nothing personal," he added hastily. "It sounds extraordinary, but I have another two years here.. and I don't want to move somewhere else in the middle of the school year." 

Professor Xavier and Logan exchanged glances, exchanging thoughts as well. Another moment passed before they both turned back to the blonde. "If that is your decision, we respect it. But," he rolled towards Warren, fishing a small object out of his pocket, "if you ever change your mind, don't hesitate to call." 

Warren excepted the business card and skimmed over it. _The Xavier Institute for Higher Learning. ...It.. sounds promising._ "Thank you, Professor. Trust me, though. I will contact you, if I need to..." 

With that settled, the meeting was over. The Dean was assured Warren would stay until the school year was over and they would discuss it again when summer vacation came about. However, before they parted, Logan pressed something into Warren's hand. "You're molting, bird boy." 

Warren nearly fainted from cool hysteria at the sight of the innocent white feather, but caught the teasing smirk on the man's face just before he turned away. 

Later, after Warren caught up with St. John and hauled him into their dorm, Warren could hardly stop talking, which was high unusual for the angel-winged teen. John found himself confused and amused, but finally found the opening he needed to slither himself into the one-sided conversation and close Warren's mouth. Now, the tanned blonde was able to piece the bits he understood together; what Warren was an incredulous look. 

"You're serious? There's a school for mutants on the east coast?" John gave a low whistle. "Wow... but you gave it up to stay here?!" The exclaimation was heavily accented, totally normal when you upset the Australian. "Warren! There is a place where you don't have to hide those big clunkers and can be... /drooled/ over, man! You have the makings of a very sexy man and if you don't leave this school and go flaunt it wherever, I will drag you there, on foot, myself." 

Warren groaned. "John~ny. Stop. You are over-reacting. First thing, I would like to finish this year before I go any place. Two, I really need to ask my parents about this. And three, you'd miss the flying and you know it." 

"Well... Bugger." John pouted, now having a favorite past-time hanging in the air. "Okay, I would.. It's fun, flying and all. But Warren, you can't stay for my sake. I can always go visit you." "And who would you thrust your writting drafts to when you're desperate for an opinion?" 

"I'll find a bloody victim, that's what! Warren, start thinking about yourself, you twit!" 

Despite it all, Warren smiled and dispelled of his coat once more, hanging it up on the closet door. "Trust me... I just want to finish my year here, alright?" 

John rolled his eyes and glared, but settled down on his bed and plopped back. "Okay... but if you aren't gone when senior year rolls around, I'll clip those wings for you and then we'll both be out of luck on flying." 

Warren laughed. "You have nothing to fear then.." 

* * *

That night, sleep came to only one of them. John, fast asleep, did not hear the restlessness of the person opposite him. Warren turned and twisted, his skin flaring with an uncomfortable heat. Tired, pleading eyes stared at the digital clock, the red numbers only adding to the pain. It was at 2:36 am when Warren flung the blankets off of him and staggered out to the bathroom down the hall, subconsciously thanking his lucky stars no one was around. 

The lights automatically turned on when the door opened and Warren locked it before making his way over to the sinks. He didn't bother to look in the mirror at all as he turned on the faucet at full blast and soaked his face and hands. The icy water must have begun to do something, because the burning began to dwindle, even in the parts of the body that weren't bathed in the water. _Had to do something right. But what.... OH MY GOD!_

What he hadn't noticed before now came to light as he stared at his hands, now a dark, sky blue. But, if his hands had changed, then.... In the mirror was the reflection he was used to, except for the color disorientation and the frightened look in his eyes.. 

He wasn't going to wait until the school year to leave, that's for sure. 

* * *

o.o Trust me when I say this isn't over yet, but the next part might be long in coming. St John still has his part to play, need to get Warren's blue butt over to Bayville, and get some groovin' on. Couples undecided, but what I'm really leaning for is WarrenxBobby. ^^;;; Who knows what else. 

Personally, I think it lacks direction in written style and a bit blocky, but that's my opinion. I hate my writing style; never does justice to the idea... . And my back is killing me. 


	2. Part 2

  
  
**Disclaimer**: YES! THEY ARE MINE. ALL MINE!! MWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!... ._. Ah, who the heck am I kidding? But I must say, this is the first story I'm figuratively blazing through. 

Am I the only one who thought that 'Sock' song thing for the comercials on KidsWB was fracking hilarious? 

/And/, for the record, Bobby and Berzerker are roommates, not lovers. X_o; As for Kurt and Rogue's accents, s'all annoying. ;^_^; Besides! You can just insert them yourselves as you read along! 

Did I mention I hate Tabby? I'm also aware that Warren turns blue during the Apocalypse reign thing. I'm just primping it up. ^_@V Besides, this is my story and I want him blue, dammit! ^^; 

* * *

_It was back. The angel-shaped cloud with the sun peeking out at the perfect angle hung nearly in the same place it had last time. It also seemed closer to him this time, like it also wanted to be just that. _

_He giggled. Since when did a cloud want to be close to a human boy? Clouds belonged in the sky, where they could fly. Or cry the rain drops. Or be nice and hide the sun for a few brief moments. They're like passing acquaintants, friends you meet and who you can talk to (after your convinced that you just aren't talking to yourself) without having to be afraid of spilt secrets. _

_But a small rumble in the distance took his eyes away from the sky and to his left. He squinted, but could just make out a small dark patch on the horizon. It didn't seem like a threat... or even a bad thing. _

_But when did black holes have red eyes...?_

* * *

The automatic alarm went off through out the P.A. system, waking up the mass of students in the dorms. John's hand automatically reached out to slap the clock on the night stand between the bed, but the sound didn't stop when it hit the floor and bounced almost to the door. Seconts later, it stopped and St. John wearily opened his eyes to face the new day. 

The bed beside him was empty, but John didn't notice until he was well stretched out and calling out for him to 'get his lazy arse out of bed'. But when no answer came, not even a groan, John did a double take. 

With a tossed about bed, John wanted to assume the poor boy got up early, but there was a feeling in his gut that just screamed something was wrong. And the proof was in Warren's closet. 

Or ex-closet, as the case turned out. 

John surpressed a shout of dismay. The large cubbard was bare of any belongings. Heck, even that horrid sweater John gave Warren for Easter was gone! And John didn't know whether to laugh or cry.. 

_Where the /hell/ did you go, Warren?!_ Slamming the double doors closed, the pyro-artist looked around frantically, for anything that might have explained the sudden departure. Nothing under the bed, among the covers. Of course, he slapped his forehead for his stupidity when he spotted the note tucked partially beneath the small lamp on the table. 

John hastily grabbed it and unfolded it, praying for something that wasn't a ransom note. It wasn't. 

_Dear John, _

_You're probably panicking right now. If not, then Dean Marter has most likely filled you in. In the likelyhood that he hasn't talked to you yet, this is what you need to know. _

_I have decided to join Xavier's school after all. Yes, it was sudden, but I frankly didn't have a choice. Last night (or, if you don't discover this letter right away, the night I vanished), something happened. I couldn't sleep. And you're snoring didn't help at all. God awful noise, Pyro. But. I found out why my skin was turning grey. It /wasn't/ turning grey. _

_I am now a six foot bluejay._

"Bluejay?" John gave the letter a twisted stare of disbelief. 

_Marter doesn't know that part. In the middle of the night, I called the Professor. No, he wasn't mad at me, if that's what you're thinking. He's here as I write with that guy from before. Logan's helping me get my stuff out while the Professor says he's going to alter some of Marter's memories to think that I, indeed, had decided to leave the school and left the same night. _

_Well, it's just about time to go. It's almost 6 am and, as you know, wake-up time starts in an hour. Oh, and here's the address, if you decide you want to put your writing skills to better use than your short stories. _

_Warren _

_P.S. Too bad you weren't awake. You just might have enjoyed that kiss to the cheek otherwise._

The address was written below that, but John, quite frankly, just didn't care. He felt like bawling rivers of saltwater instead. 

_Maybe he's teasing me. Yeah, teasing... God dammit, I missed it!! What a low down bloody prick! Four years to get the straight man to give me one little peck on the cheek and I'm not even conscious!_ He pouted. _That's low, dammit._

However, he couldn't afford to dwell over it anymore. Breakfast was in 15 minutes and the last thing he need to be was late. 

* * *

"I bet you anything Logan's going to up our training." 

"Just because he didn't call us out for today's pre-breakfast session?" 

"Well, why not? He wasn't even at breakfast. I'll bet he's setting up the program right now." 

Brez shook his head with an unconvinced sigh. "You're only being paranoid. He probably had too much to drink last night with Storm and had a hangover in the morning." 

Bobby gave the blonde a dirty, incrudulous look. "And Miss Munroe, if you noted, was perfectly fine when I saw her. It was the Professor who was missing too." 

"Oh please," added Roberto, with a roll of his eyes. "Are you implying that Logan is seeing Professor X and not Storm? I wanna know what you're smoking, Bob." 

"I'm not implying," said the icemaker, grinning. "I'm insinuating." "Same thing. Anyway, I'll check you guy later at photography class." 

Roberto departed with a wave, leaving both Bobby and Berzerker to the crowded hallways. They were beginning to thin, however, as the homeroom bell drew closer to ringing. Brez leaned up against the lockers as Bobby opened his own. "What were you dreaming about last night?" 

Bobby gave the taller boy a peculiar look. "Why do you ask?" 

"Because you had this huge smile on your face. Pretty hard to miss, I'd say. And considering you've done the same thing for four nights in a row, I'm going to go out on a limb and say it's been repetitive." 

"Now how would you know," said the brunette, "that I was smiling for not only last night, but for /four/ other nights as well?" 

Brez grinned mischievously. "I like watching you when you sleep." 

"Kya!" Bobby waved his arms about, narrowing avoiding collisions with other people. "Youcan'tdothosekindsofthings!! That's..! That's...! Stalking! Stalkingisillegalespeciallywhenit'syourroommate!" 

The dual-hued blonde laughed and waved a hand in dismissal. "You can dish it out, but you can't take it. I like reading my book late at night. I wouldn't have bothered with you, but you were babbling in your sleep. /Happily/, might I add, and it's kind of hard to ignore. Now, for compensation, you're going to tell me what it was all about." 

The boy made a face, looking reluctant. "It's just... bizarre. Just lots of clouds and one that looks some sort of blue-skinned angel. Now," he said, grabbing his books and quickly changing the subject, "let's go before you start asking about the time I dreamed about me, Amara, and Jubilee sharing drinks in a hottub." 

All Brez did was snicker. 

* * *

School started and ended like it normally did. Some stayed after for detention, a few stayed for studies, help, or such activities like football or band. Most went back home, though. 

Warren, on the other hand, just watched as the mutants came home from his room above. They had arrived back at the compound around 8:30 am, with him ready to accept what enrolling in the Institute aslo meant.. 

He hadn't seen much of what the lower levels looked like, but the brief glimpses he got amazed him. So much high tech equipment.. It reminded him of his father's company. Although a tour could wait until Warren caught up on his few missed hours of sleep (he should have slept on the ride back, but the whole flying at high speeds thing was a real eye opener), he did get a few directions as the Professor showed him to a room he would call his own... until the day came when another male joined the Institute. 

He had thanked Professor X, listened to him about getting a something or other, and, well, fell asleep upon hitting the mattress. When he woke up a few hours later, Warren found his stuff next to the door and decided to leave that until he was really settled in. 

The blonde could have easily gotten lost as he wandered around the levels. Lucky for him, he bumped into another one of the residents who introduced herself as Ororo Munroe. She was pretty, in his opinion, and really nice. She had led him to the kitchen to fix himself something to eat and helped him learn his way around. 

Ororo also took the time to introduce him to Henry McCoy. Now, it was one thing to be blue. It was another to be blue and furry. Hank had commented on finding another kindred soul to relate to. Warren asked about the 'another' part, but all Hank did was smile mysteriously. 

And now, he just waited and observed from his bedroom window. There seemed to be about ten or twelve who walked through that door and mused about how he'd be accepted. The blue part wasn't a problem if Beast was well liked, but... none of the kids he saw had any physical disorientation that he could see. 

As Warren wondered just how he was going to introduce himself to the group, there was a knock on the door. With a rustle of feathers, the youth got up to answer it. "Professor?" 

He widened the door to let the elder inside and Xavier greeted him. "I hope you enjoyed your rest?" 

"Yes, I did." 

"Good. ...I want to give you this." The Professor held up a watch-like device and offered it to him. "It's an image inducer. One of our other students wears an identical one." 

Warren looked down at the small machine and blinked. He had an idea of what it did, given by it's name, but... "What does it do, exactly?" 

Xavier touched his fingertips together in a thoughtful manner. "It'll cover a hologram over your physique to make you look like you once were. However, I may suggest that you tuck the wings in tightly. The hologram doesn't extend far." 

Warren stared hard at it, surprised how a small thing like that could do something so important. But his focus went from the watch to the blue background it had: his skin. It have been little over twelve hours since they sickly grey turned into the blue shading and, disturbingly, he had become accustomed to it, like it was as natural as night and day. "Thank you, sir." 

"You are very welcome." He smiled like a father would. "As I've said before, I'm sorry you had to pull yourself out of school like that; a transformation like this was truly unexpected. And we'll contact your parents tomorrow on Saturday to explain to them what happened also." He turned to leave when Warren nodded his consent, but then stopped in the doorway. "Dinner is at seven. You can stay here until then, if you like, or you can go introduce yourself to the students now." 

Warren shied back a little and shook his head. "I'd like to wait until dinner, if that's alright." 

The Professor nodded. "I said it was. And again, I'm glad you've come here." And then he left, closing the door behind him. 

Warren listened as the motorized sound of the wheels faded into noisy silence before slipping the band across his wrist. It seemed simple enough, with digital numbers for the time. There was only one button, though. A curious button. He wandered over to the mirror on the bureau and looked at himself. Warren frowned. He used to have a pale peachy cream for a color-tone. It was intriguing to know if the hologram would give him just that... 

One press of the button gave him the answer... 

* * *

The Rec room was filled with the bustle of chatter. Normally, the day would have been spent outside, but the November weather had settled in comfortably. So, the TV was on Cartoon Network, books were being cracked, and the hacky sack was getting a good workout. 

"I think the Professor's investigating Magneto's whereabouts and is using Logan as a bloodhound." Knee, foot, inside foot, pass. 

"I think we're getting some new recruits." Outside foot, inside foot. "You can never have enough super heroes." Toe, knee, miss. 

"Well, I'm still plagued with really bad images. Thanks, ice shavings." 

From the couch, a grin and a wave. "No sweat, hot stuff." 

Toe roll, lift and kick. "Ew, you mean.... I can't see that happening ever. No offense, but talking about adult love lives creeps me out." Outside foot, pass. "Wow! I'm getting better." 

Smile. Knee. Stall. "Yeah, you are, Kitty. Not bad." Rainbow. Heel. Pass. 

Kitty just bounced excitedly as Spyke passed the footbag to Sam. Even small things were important.. until such small victories turn into disasters as Sam overshot Brez and nearly hit a table lamp across the room. The force-empowered mutant grimaced at the close call. "Oops." 

Robby shrugged. "And to think, if you just two more degrees closer to the circle, you would've hit it." 

Sam made a face and went to fetch it. As he did, the others took a minute break. Jubilee snapped her gum impatiently. "I still think it has to do with Magneto. The man sounds like he could survive anything." 

"It's been a year since Asteroid M, though," Evan countered. "Why bother now? Especially if it's quiet." 

"I don't see what the big problem is," said Kurt, from one of the recliners, a book in his lap. "So we weren't called out for a session. You guys are making too big of a deal out of it. Sometimes, you just really to sleep." 

"And... that's true too." Evan scratched the back of his head. "Maybe they'll tell us tonight. You know, so that we don't worry?" 

The rest of the circle gave a chorus of maybe's, nods, and general agreements. 

* * *

"Come on, Rogue! It's almost time for dinner." 

"I'm coming!" Rogue tried her best to feel impatient at her roommate, but her heart just wasn't in it, despite the fact that the King of the Wind was a book that deserved to be read with respect and not rushed. It may have been about how the breed of Thoroughbred horses came about, but not even the Morgan breed had this much of a back story. 

The force-stealer didn't know whether to hurt Kitty or thank her for letting her borrow the book. 

But, she reluctantly put the bookmark in the page and set it down on her bed. Most of the others were probably already at the table, but it wouldn't have been the first time she was a few minutes late. 

The hallways were empty, all sound a mere echo in the distance, conducted by the shallow walls. It added a really eerie factor to the place when life wasn't around to keep it like so. But, it was home.. _Two years. Man, it's seemed like forever._

She wasn't expecting the door on her right to open suddenly, however, and both Rogue and the person felt like jumping out of their skins. The woman jumped, instead, into a defensive stance while the unidentified person slammed the door closed. 

_Funny... I thought that room was unoccupied. And we've had plenty of burglar attempts, but none ever got in. So, what's the deal?_ "Hey, I'm not gonna hurt you. ...Are you new?" 

The door cracked open slightly, and a blue eyes, framed with blonde hair and fair skin peaked out. "I'll open this door only when you drop out of commando mode." 

She relaxed. "Fair enough." The door opened and she eyed the man curiously. "You don't look like a burglar." 

The stranger gave a weak laugh. "When does a thief wear white or jeans on a heist?" 

That was true enough. "So you're new, right?" 

He nodded and extended his hand. "Yeah. I'm Warren." 

She accepted the gesture with a firm grip. "They call me Rogue." 

Warren smiled. "Well, I can't say that's unusual. Very original, in fact. ..So, um," he pointed down the hallway, "dinner, right?" 

"That's right," she admitted with a nod. "Want me to help you find it?" 

Warren exhaled a mighty, if not a little exaggerated, sigh of relief, mingled with a light laugh. "Please. I may have gotten shown around a bit by Miss Munroe, but that still doesn't help me when it comes to being on my own." 

Rogue gave a sympathetic smile. "I know how you feel. Come on, I'll show you." 

Like the gentleman he was, Warren offered his arm. When he got a weird look, he just shrugged. "Dad always told me to be polite and generous to all women, especially if they are kind enough to show you around a big, mazey mansion." 

Rogue chuckled quietly, looping her arm through his, albeit a bit hesitantly. "Fine, but any funny business and you'll be temporarily comatosed, I promise." 

"Scout's honor." 

They strolled down the hallway in silence. Until, that is, they reached the overlook to the floor below. Rogue cleared her throat as they decended down the grand stairway. "You know what kind of school this is, right?" 

"Well," he mused thoughtly, "unless the Professor's been lying to me about this being a school for mutants, then yes, I do." 

Rogue tilted her head to the side. "Then may I ask what kind of power you got?.. If you have one at all, I mean." 

Warren smiled sadly. "It's not exactly a power, per se. I'll show you later." 

"I'm holding you to that." 

"Gladly. ...But what about you? What were you bestowed with?" 

"Well..." She pursed her lips together. "It's sort of complicated. I can't have skin-to-skin contact with anyone. If I do, that person will not only be drained of their energy, but if it's a mutant... I end up 'borrowing' their abilities." 

Warren stopped in mid-step, looking rather alarmed. "That... Wow... Any skin contact between you and another person?" 

When Rogue nodded mutely, Warren calmed down with a sigh. "I'm sorry. That startled me a bit." He made sure the girl's arm was still in his before beginning their trek down the stairs again. "It must be difficult, living like that." 

"I get by. Don't you worry though," she said with a reassuring look. "If I could absorb powers through the mesh of my shirt, we wouldn't have gotten this far, let alone away from your room." 

Warren chuckled. "I'll take your word for it." 

And they were silent once more. The trip from the stairs to the dinning area wasn't too long. The quiet may have lasted between them, but it gradually began to slink away in general as the destination became closer. It was an indistinct blend of voices, with no conversation rising above another. Not too loud either. But, it was nothing that needed getting used to. 

Inside was not too chaotic; in fact, it bordered on stable. But, then again, half of the seats were empty and various people were going back and forth with plates of food. Dinner must've been running late. 

Warren recognized most of them from his window gazing, but he didn't recognize two of the people talking animately with the Profressor... or the smaller blue fuzzy creature that was lounging in his chair like a cat. _Maybe that's what Mr. McCoy meant by 'another' kindred spirit. There's another blue person here._

"Come on, I'm sure the Prof would like to introduce you as soon as it settles down." Rogue led him by the gloved hand; Warren let himself be guided and tried not to make too much eye-contact with the others who were seated. It didn't matter though. He could feel the eyes of the few people who weren't busy enough to notice him. But.. Warren barely supressed a groan. Logan was also sitting close to Xavier. 

It wasn't like he didn't like Logan. But Warren was convinced that the wild man would never let him escape the trap that was known as molting. 

At their approach, the Professor raised a hand to halt the brunette's speech and motioned to the pair. "Good evening, you two. I see you've met one of the students here, Warren." 

"Yeah," he said, the hologram skin copying the real blush on his face. "Rogue was kind enough to help me find my way here.. again." 

"It was nothing, really," said Rogue. 

Professor X nodded. "Well, I'm very grateful. ...Oh, Warren, this is Scott Summers and Jean Grey, our two senior members. Jean, Scott, this is Warren Worthington." 

Jean held out her hand and Warren took it, both with quiet greetings. Scott, on the other hand, had a question as they shook. "You wouldn't happen to be related to Warren Worthington Jr. of Worthington Industries, would you?" 

"Well," murmured Warren. "I'm impressed. This just means I need to change my name. Um, yes, actually. I'm his son. I have the roman numeral three tacked onto my name, but I'm not too crazy about it." 

"Not too crazy about these either, are you?" piped up a new, yet very familiar voice. Logan peered at him from the corner of a single, cracked-open eye. And in his hand, twirling like a sky dancer, was another white feather. 

Warren blanched and snatched it out of the large hand, holding it protectively against him. "You're trying to tell me something, aren't you??" 

"Yeah, don't sneeze. You might send the whole load of them flying everywhere." Logan smirked casually, as Warren flustered and stuttered and the three other students looked confused. 

Professor X remained passive and indifferent, but calmly so. "Warren, if you like, you can sit next to Ororo. Two seats down from Logan." 

Warren nodded with a "Yes sir" and wandered over to the chair he was given for the night. Across from him was a girl in pigtails, playing a handheld game system... Ooo, Gameboy Color. The sound was turned down and probably wasn't a constant eyesight game, since she spent more time trying to sneak glances at her new table mate than at the actual game. Warren thought it was somewhat flattering, being more interesting that a video game. 

More and more people started staying as the table was nearly covered. Pasta, chicken breasts, fruit and vegetable salads, fruit in whole.. It made one wonder who had time to make a meal for so many people. 

Eventually, though, everything settled down. Most of the chairs were filled and there were arguments about some things, like who's turn it was to get the drum stick. Of course, that's solved by Logan being able to snatch it out from under them. The other was stolen by the talking, blue cat by means of... bamfing. The smoke-and-mirrors version of teleporting was neat, but Warren pondered over the possibility of having a power that doesn't smoke. 

The kid beside him wasn't joining any of the conversations, just slurping his soup. But, you could just tell... the gears in his head were turning. Warren didn't say anything, but ate a forkful of baked potato as the small brunette snuck a pea off of his plate. His eyes were on an older boy with shaggy blonde hair and a slight southern accent, a little less that Rogue's was. 

A quick movement and the pea went sailing through the air and hit the the other boy square in the cheekbone. The kid went back to his innocent slurping as the shaggy blonde looked around, like he knew who it was, but just couldn't find the culprit. Those who were talking to him giggled. But... 

"Jamie." 

The kid looked up at the other boy looked accusingly at him, rolling the pea between his fingers. "Fess up, Mr. Xerox." 

Jamie shrugged, and went about nipping at his roll. "Didn't do it." 

"Aha." He pointed at Jamie, but didn't follow up. Once Jamie looked away though, the blonde threw it back at him. All Jamie did was smile. The blonde also smiled and went back to his meal. 

"That's Sam Guthrie. He's alright. Likes jokes, but not when they're on him." 

Warren turned back to Jamie and the latter stabbed his carrots before waving them about as he talked. "I'm Jamie Madrox." 

"Warren." 

Jamie eyed him- _What am I? Meat?_- and offered a quiet laugh. "You're cool, I guess. Where're you from?" 

"Originally, Long Island. But," he said, "my parents moved me to California until I graduate." 

"Sun, waves, and tanlines?" 

Warren laughed and shook his head. "More like sun, walls, and dormitories. I was transfered from a boarding school this morning." 

Jamie nodded. "So you don't have much to get used to around here then." 

"Well, it's a change, but I don't have to get used to whatever insanity there is here. My roommate always kept me moving." 

"Ah." Jamie grinned. "So what power do you have?" 

"Ummm--" 

But even that answer was cut off as /another/ person literally rolled in, grabbed a spare platter, and started picking various things from the bowls in huge portions. As he made his rounds, the air was filled with excuse me's, hey's, pardon me's and so on. As he made his way around the head of the table, he apologized to the Professor and explained hasily that it was for Hank. "He's not exactly coming out, and asked me to fetch him his dinner, so here I am." 

"It's quite alright, Robert," said the Professor, watching the depletion of macaroni. "But you know there's no skating in the house." 

"I know, I know," said the teen, stabbing a few slices of turkey, "but my lunch was swiped and I didn't have any money to buy any and the guys didn't share anything they had because they threw my "hang on to your lunch" right back at me and I'm hungry and I'd really, really like to eat because Ororo shooed me out of the kitchen because she said we had a guest and this is really embarassing and I have learned my lesson so please?" He stopped in his rant to bat his eyelashes. 

Warren blinked at him in bewilderment as Professor X gave his reluctant consent, while Scott (as we know, is in constant leader mode) did his shade-glare at the tactless mutant and everyone else just tried to keep out of Bobby's way. 

Bobby made his way over to Jamie and snatched part of the contents of the bread basket infront of him. "Hey, James, pea-shooting yet?" 

Jamie nodded with a shark grin. "Pelted Sem." 

"That's my multi-self partner." With a playful swat, Bobby hit Jamie on the shoulder. There was a brief flash and a thud on the ground and, to Warren's absolute surprise, another Jamie popped up and glared. "That wasn't very nice." 

But then, the twin vanished and the original Jamie sighed. "What he said." 

Bobby grinned and skated out of the room, hurrying to deliver Hank's dinner and get back himself for his own. As soon as he disappeared, Professor X sent a mental wave of attention towards his students and instructors. The conversing stopped nearly in midair and all heads turned to the Professor. 

Charles pressed his fingertips together, putting his thoughts into physical words. "If you may or may not have noticed, we have a new arrival. He would have joined us later next year, but due to an unlikely circumstance, we took him in early." He gestured to Warren, who tried his best not to blush. "This is Warren Worthington. Could you stand up, please?" 

Spotlight equaled embarrassing, in his mind. Alas, he did as he was told and stood, giving the occupants he didn't know a tiny, impish wave in their direction. 

"And, the inducer?" 

Warren shrugged a shoulder and tapped the button, but kept his eyes on his hand as the the vanishing image took away what he was used to for seventeen years, only to be replaced with a hue he hand't even possessed for 24 hours. With that out of the way, he quickly unbuckled the belt that helped kept his wings tucked against him. As they unfurled, silverware literally hit the chinaware. 

But then, out of the blue (quite literally meant), came, "Blue people are gonna rule the world!" 

All eyes swivelled over to the talking blue cat thing, who was totally chair surfing over a simple thing like color. 

Then again... he was probably right. 

"Kurt! Not at the table." Rogue and another girl pulled the boy back into his seat, but you could tell he was brimming with excitement. Yes, and now that the distraction was over, the stares were back on him. Warren felt like groaning in defeat. 

St. John had sorta been like this too, the first few days, but the fascination changed to idle obsession. He liked keeping the feathers in perfect working order, which meant lots of finger-combing for the pyrotechnic. It was John's excuse for being able to touch them. 

It was one thing to yearn for wings and a very different story to actually have them. And they weren't all that they were cracked up to be, not when you were on the ground anyway. 

"Can you actually fly?" That came from the pig-tailed girl. It was an honest question, and in all, a very good one. They could have gotten the idea that the wings were practically decorations and no real use. Besides, look at the ostrich. It's huge and can't fly. It could've been his case. 

"I can, actually. My whole body is designed for flight, including a hollow skeleton. I'm just like a bird... except human." 

They still stared. Warren surmised it would be a long weekend. 

* * *

"Hey, Henry?" 

"Yesh?" It was said around a mouthful of chicken. 

Bobby quickly finished calculating the equation on the blackboard; it was the last thing he needed to complete before going back upstairs. "There /is/ a guest here, right?" 

Beast swallowed, making a loud rumbling sound. "That's correct." 

"Well, I didn't see anyone different up there." The icemaker stole a forkful of mashed potato from the platter. "But then again, I was in a rush. Is this person a visitor or a new student." 

"He's a student. And stay away from my food." Henry swatted at him with a large paw, purposingly missing, but it kept the adolesent at bay. 

Bobby shot the Beast a grin and doodled in the corner of the board. "Met him?" 

"Yes. Quite intellectual. /You/ could probably learn from him." 

"Hah. No one can teach the Iceman anything." 

Hank eyed his companion. "No wonder you've got horrible grades." 

Bobby looks over his shoulder and glared. "Cheap shot." 

"Oh ho. Anyway. He seems alright. No power-force mutation that we know of, unlike you and Scott and nearly everyone else on the grounds. He weights a few pounds lighter than normal due to hollow bones--" 

"So what does he have?" 

Beast shrugged, picking around the salad bits. "Not much, but simply fascinating. His skin's pigment mutated to blue last night and apparently has had white raptor-bird wings growing out of his back since puberty." 

"Well, that's cool. So he's like--" _... A blue-skinned bird?.. Wait, that can't be possible._ "...Does he look like an angel?" 

"If you preceive them to look like tall, handsome men with light-colored hair and very large wings, then yes, I'd say so..." Beast frowned. "Are you alright, Robert? You look like you've seen you're own ghost." 

"I.." He was squeaking. "I'm fine." Bobby plastered on a huge (and very fake) grin. "I'm going to stay down here and bother you some more, if that's okay." 

"Well, if you're so intent on doing so.." The blue creature reached over to his desk and pulled at some loose papers. He handed them, along with the fork he snatched, to Bobby. "..you can solve those problems then." 

Bobby obliged with a sour face... and stole the last bit of meat out from the plate. 

Least to say, Hank was upset. 

* * *

Ooo, yay, couples have been decided. o.O After much, much interogation, they are: ... I'm not telling. :B Sorry Shindo, you'll just have to find out. ^_^ But heck, I may not even get to the ones put down (x.9 considering I matched everyone with /someone/, which is /wrong/), because it's hard to control a large amount of people at one time. 

And to really make a couple work, you'd have to spend individual amount of time with each person and pairing. Besides, in the real world, people don't pair up in the forementioned manner, because not everyone works well with the other leftovers. 

And I feel like I'm describing a Mary Sue instead of a cannon character. .@ I feel dirty! I must be washed in the pureness that is CANNON! 

What else... oh yeah! This is my longest chapter of anything I've ever written before. You have been honored and blessed and bored to death, because it stinks in some points. T_; 

Yes, this is my space for blabbering. =p Get your own, like the review box! 


	3. Part 3

  
  
**Disclaimer**: I own the world and everything in it!... /Except/ for anything pretaining to Marvel. 

:B Ooo, ooo. I /have/ to do this. Miss Cleo, you hit it on dah heeeeaaaaad! (^_^;; I'm sorry. I really couldn't resist). I'm pretty sure I can all make your wishes come true. No Kurtty, a possible titch of Pyro x Angel, and so forth. 

T_T Why did they have to make Warren an adult, ={ when everyone else are kids? Noslashyqualitiesuntilyoumakethemallolder!! *bawls her eyes out* 

* * *

Part 3

Late that night (or too early the next morning), Brez was reading The Time Machine under a mini-light in his bed. There was just.. something about the story that seemed unique from most other sci-fi thrillers. Especially with the Morlock creatures. They were so different from the delicate people of the surface. It was unfathomable how the humans were like the Eloi and the mutants Morlocks. 

It wasn't a very pleasent conclusion, but probably accurate none the less. 

Across from him, not a sound. The blonde hardly remembered to check for anything abnormal, let alone remembered his roommate was even in the same room, until the weeping rays of light began to cover the landscape outside. _Ah, November. Turkeys, pumpkin pie.. and lots and lots of an adundance of cold. God, I hate the cold._

But, as it turned out, Bobby was perfectly fine. No bubbly faces, no stupid grins, no.. anything. But, Brez shook it off. The prankster's brain probably got tired of the idea of a blue angel in the clouds idea, considering he now had a real life one to contend with. And Brez /knew/ Iceman knew about the new seraph-y addition to the school, considering any talks about dinner, Warren, or anything related to said Angel sent him into a quiet lapse. 

Or that's what he gathered from trying to talk to him last night. 

_Pure coincidence._ he surmised. _Bobby's an aisumancer mutant, not a precognitive one. And the 'fun' part, he can't avoid Warren forever._ Brez put the bookmarked the page he was on and tossed it under his bed, where it thunked against his collection of junk that had stocked up over the last year and a half. 

With a content sigh, Brez snuggled into his three comforters and electric blanket, deciding it would be wise to catch a few last hours of sleep before Scott or Wolverine decided that the cold would be perfect training weather. Unless, he mused, it was for Magma or Sunspot, so that they'd use their /very/ nice powers in a way that would keep the whole group all cozy and warm. 

_Dammit, why couldn't I be a bear?_

* * *

It was noon when Warren hung up the phone. His parents had been less prepared for this new upstart than he had, but, once they heard about the kind of place he had found, agreed that it was for the best. And after that, it was plans about Thanksgiving next week and general events. His mom asked about John, how he was doing in the Institute, and general health questions. Dad was more concerned about his academics, but Warren convinced him he'd be taking classes in school next week. The real question was how that would be possible and it was answered with a simple "You'll see." 

Now, Warren didn't really have anything to do, except find his way around so he didn't have to ask for Rogue's help.. and muse over last night. 

Jamie, who explained about the duplicate and his mutation, had pretty much stayed with him until somewhere around 11 pm, talking about the groups in general. 

There seemed to be a sort of barrier between the first group of mutant teens and the secondary. Kitty and Kurt seemed to like mingling with the 'new mutants' (who really have outgrown the title), but then again, those two seem to like being kids. Scott and Jean, the college folk, seem to want to grow up as fast they could. And people like Evan and Rogue coasted along as life made them walk its path. 

Then, there were the other teens. Rahne ("The girl with the pigtails who sat across from you.") and her lupine lycanthropy was a fine cross between a tease and man hater... or at least she hated the men that fell for said tease. 

Amara ("The very 'refined' girl at the end of the table.") was the pyrokinetic /and/ geomancer of the second team, although Jamie explained that she wasn't as powerful as the geomancer of the Brotherhood was. And considering her upbringing as a princess, she didn't seem all that different from normal girls in the U.S. 

Brez ("That guy who brings blonde to a whole new level. His real name is Ray Crisp, but he hates it.") and Roberto ("The Brazilian with the awesome accent.") just absorbed and shot electro and solar energy-projectiles respectively. Roberto just had the added feature of gaining superhuman strength and endurance, plus flight. Brez wasn't as lucky; all he got was a hot temper at all the wrong times. But despite that, both were practical, pretty much down to earth, and played big brother to the more wilier team members. 

Sam ("The pea victim.") and Jubilee ("The one with the bright yellow fashion sense.") were the joy riders, getting thrills from speed and danger and making sure to have fun along the way. Most likely, Sam enjoyed the adrenaline rush that his time-to-time bursts of speed gave him.. And Jubes just loved to have fun. 

And then, there were the pranksters. Jamie ("That's me!") and Bobby ("The guy on the roller blades who never came back. Eh. Mr. McCoy probably ate him.") were a powerful force to be reckoned with, considering they're the ones that'll put Saran wrap over the toilet seat for revenge and stink bombs under your bed. But, there was such a thing as a Freedom Prank pass, which'll garantee you a prank-less life from either. God knows, however, no one's ever gotten one. And as Jamie proudly stated, nothing can make him change his mind when he's set. Unfortunately, Bobby has one little weakness; Jamie refused to disclose it. 

That was pretty much it, for the moment. Professor X granted him permisson to explore the lower levels, but frankly, that thought scared him, especially after Jamie told him about the Danger Room. Oh, the horror stories that circulated around /that/ place. 

And Warren was schedueled for one-on-one training with Logan tomorrow in that very room. It wasn't something the blonde was looking foward to. 

But, there was still an afternoon full of daylight. As Warren made his way back to his room, he wondered if anyone would mind him stretching his wings outside of the mansion. 

The teen quickly grabbed his windbreaker (specially made, if you were really wondering) from the back of his door and slipped it past his wings with practiced ease. Ah, the things money could buy: comfort, special outfits, and the silence of the tailor who designed said outfits. Lucky for Warren and his family, that tailor was one serious believer in God and the Order of Angels. 

Everyone seemed to have their own agenda on the weekends, since everyone seemed to be gone. The blonde hardly minded. It was always nice to be alone... Besides, Warren wasn't too keen on others watching him fly. His self-conscious told him it was like flaunting what others wished for. 

The second floor balcony doors opened and Warren breathed in the chilled air. _Just like home._ This was the weather he enjoyed. Not the constant sun in California, but the coldness of New York and the New England states. _Of course, John would argue and say, "You can't possibly mean that, mate! Only bloody idiots like the freezing cold!"... But then I'd tease him about kangaroos and dingos drawing Santa's sled and he'd chase me around with an army of flaming kangaroos, telling me to take it back._

The doors closed behind him and Warren jumped up to sit on the stone rail, swinging around to face the large expanse of sky... with grassy hills and salty water somewhere below that horizontal line. 

It was all air from there. 

* * *

"C'mere Ferdez... Kitty kitty kitty." 

The orange tabby gave an indignant meow and moved up the branch with no concern for the brunette sharing the same space. But then again, Ferdez knew this boy was just trouble and didn't want to become the next icy centerpiece on Thanksgiving. So, he swung his tail in a vaguely insulting way and leaped up to the next branch and successfully escaped disaster. 

Bobby hmphed and waved the cat off. "Yeah yeah. That's what I get for messing with a cat that belongs to Scott. No respect." 

_But,_ he thought, leaning back against the tree's body, _as long as I'm up here, I might as well chill._

The other students had opted to spend their last weekend before a holiday in town, with the exception of Brez, who was taking lessons to damper his firey temper with Logan, and (according to Jamie) Warren, who was god knows where right now. 

Bobby frowned. The younger brunette had caught him that morning before breakfast. Bobby had explained why he didn't come back (making up most of the story as he went along) and Jamie explained why he hadn't gone looking for him. 

_Okay, so we have America's number one son under our roof. And the populace believes that no one important would ever be a 'freak'. But god, that's some mutation._ He sighed ruefully. _One I thought was the product of my over-stimulated imagination in a desperate attempt to keep me from going insane. Well, it worked... until said product practically knocked him over in a wild chase of "Give me back that doughnut!"_ The icemaker laughed quietly. _I guess Jamie's taken charge of intergrating him into the group. But..._ Bobby had never seen something so déja vu-ish in all his life. Blue skin of the sky. Feathers of clouds. Hair like rays of sunshine. And handsome like no other. Maybe Scott-handsome.. with a dash of Kurt charm.. and let's not forget Jean's charisma. 

Just then, as Ferdez changed his mind about his evasiveness and rubbed up against Bobby's cheek, purring, the latter spotted an airborne.... something winging it over the ocean's burly currents. Much too large to be a bird at that distance. Bobby picked Ferdez up and jumped down to the solid ground. Ferdez slided up and around his shoulders as Bobby stole the cold air vapor and hardened it into an icy disk the size of an old fashioned music record. 

It was a silly idea. Pitiful, really, but his hands didn't stop as they turned the plate to catch the sun's light... 

* * *

It was truly breath-taking, the ability to fly. The sound of flapping wings a steady rhythm unlike any other. The bird's-eye view apposed to seeing from the ground. Just the feeling that you can do anything and go anywhere without human restrictions to limit your need of freedom. 

As high as the clouds, as low as the earth, Warren rode the windy currents like surfers rode their waves of water. He could never imagine a life without his wings, now that he's tasted the low elevation of space. 

At the speed he had picked up, water was simple to cut across. A hand sliced neatly through the waves and behind him, the sonic boom spreading the bay in a small scale replica of Moses and the Red Sea. And with a tilt, Warren was back in the air, weaving around the sailboats at an altitude fishermen didn't pay attention to. 

But not too long after he had jumped from the balcony, Warren sighed and turned back. It was fantastic to fly solo, but more comfortable when there was someone to tease with brief, free-falling instances. The youth smiled lazily. 

Back at the Institute grounds, there was a flickering flash close to where the courtyard was.... which made for a great coincidence, since he had been meaning to explore the acreage. All his curiosity did was set the motive. _Your mission, should you choose to accept it: identify shiny object and learn the layout of the surrounding territory._

But it wasn't long until the flashing stopped and something, person-shaped, ran off into the tall hedges that, most likely, was a garden maze. Warren landed with a 'taking-my-time' touchdown and gave the ground an observant, sweeping gaze. The only suspicious thing to catch was the large disk on the ground, made of-- "Damn, that's cold!"-- white ice. There was also the tabby cat rubbing up against his leg and batting at the tip of a wing, but that was all. _Jamie didn't mention any shapeshifters,_ he thought, as he knelt to scratch behind the cat's ears, _so its probably not the cat. ...But he did mention an aisumancer. Bobby, I think... Or was it Roberto?_

He stood up straight and strolled across the grass to the hedge-maze's entrance. It would have been easy to just catch the wind and cheat... but that wasn't fair. And if the person didn't want to be found, then he'd respect that... but curiosity was the bird the cat choked on. 

And he would have gone in there, if the Professor hadn't called to him first. **"Warren, could you come back to the mansion?"**

The hairs on the back of his head stood up; the whole telepathy thing made his skin crawl, but aside from that, his own mind just shouted, _Busted!_ "Um... okay?" 

And the pressure in his head disappeared, satisfied. Warren turned, but gave the hedges a last glance over the shoulder before making his way back. 

* * *

"No, you are not in trouble for taking a flight. You demonstrated being carefree and cautious and so I won't warn you about dangers; I'm sure you exercised those back in California, either way." 

That's what Warren got once he stepped into Xavier's office. The hologram was now turned off and his cheeks burned a pinkish-violet. "Thank you... I think." 

The Professor motioned towards the chair. "Please sit." Once the blue angel was seated in front of him, Proffesor X handed him a class schedule. "I was able to get you enroled into the high school without much difficulty. You'll get text books tomorrow and I've asked Kitty to help you around." Warren nodded absently as he looked over the classes. There were almost the same ones that he had been taking before, except instead of advanced French, it was a study hall. _Oh hallelujah...!_ "But, sir, what about... math?" 

Xavier smiled knowingly. "The reason you may not be able to understand it is because every teacher has their own way of explaining processes and functions and they tried to teach you like an adult." The office door opened again and two pairs swung to gaze at the person who entered. "So maybe what you need.. is a /student/ for a teacher." 

In the doorway, Bobby stood, rightfully bewildered. He looked between the blonde and the elderly man nervously. "... ..Am I interrupting anything?" 

"Not at all, Robert," said the Professor, also motioning for the icemaker to take space in the second chair. "I did call you here after all. Now..." Xavier rolled over to a file cabinet and shifted around in them. "Bobby, would you mind tutoring Warren in mathematics after school?" 

"Ehhh...." Not the most intelligent answer, but Bobby knew English wasn't his fine point; he liked jibberish much better. "I'm pretty sure I could. There's no harm in trying, right?" 

* * *

"And you'd /think/ that we could have gotten more mutants to join us, yo, but look! We don't exactly have a rep to do the representing." 

Lance glared at the amphibious mutant half-heartedly as Todd continued to babble, but opted to sigh instead and mentally agree. The little toadie was right; if they were to be the X-Men's prime rival, they needed more members. Unfortunately, finances for the bills and groceries were hard enough for just the five of them. And with Mystique and Magneto out of their picture, they were left alone, newborn children abandoned and exposed to a harsh and deadly snowstorm. 

Affording a new member would strain their resources... and you really couldn't deny Fred what he needed. Freddy tried to cut back on consumtion when change was scarce, he really did, but being a behemoth of a mutant had disadvantages that hurt everyone. 

Unfortunately, Tabby didn't understand that. Bitch. 

"What we need is a spokesperson to support us," said the blonde in question, dragging a finely filed nail across the table cloth. "or a benefactor.. or something! Xavier is loaded with cash and everything a 'protector of human and mutant kind' could ever want. All we need is someone who can back us up with the dough for a bit and we'll be fine." 

"You, little Miss Smith," interjected Lance, pointing a finger in her direction, "don't even pull your /weight/ around here. Just because you nabbed Mystique's room doesn't mean you can loaf around. Sheesh, you've been here a year and all you've done is snitch from all of our very hard-earned earnings." 

"Whaaat?" Tabitha blinked innocently and snapped her digusting smelly gum. "A girl has to be primped and ready for the world." 

Pietro and Todd's heads hit the table with enough force to rattle the empty plastic cups onto their sides. Freddy only blinked, incredulous at the girl's blunt attitude, and Lance growled, causing a tiny tremor along their street; you could hear the car alarms as the rock tumbler screamed, "That's it! It's either earn or burn, Tabby! You get a goddamn job or we're kicking you out of the house!" 

"You can't do that!" Tabby looked about the table, pouting. "Who died and made you leader?!" 

"Mystique." 

Tabitha waved in dismissal and snorted. "Oh yeah, that woman that keeps popping up into the conversation. The one that doesn't /exist/ in my world because she's just a myth. A rumor! If you're so goddamn bent over her like this, then where is she?! Are you sure she's not something you just conjured up??" 

The sound of harsh contact between skin was far more audible than the racket outside. Three boys stared with their jaws dropped low as Tabby held the reddening flesh under her hand. And between the two parties, Pietro was the one lowering his hand, glowering. "That's enough, Tabitha. You've outstayed your welcome here. If you can't contribute, then find a place where you won't have to. We've put up with your bullshit for too long and it stops here." 

The blonde put up a glare of her own and stood, just below eye-level to the white-haired boy. "Fine, you want me to leave, right? You want the only /powerful/ mutant among you to leave your little /boys/ club? I can understand that. I mean, it's not like /you/ guys can do anything special. Oh sure, speed, earth shaking, hopping, and being /fat/ are fucking /wonderful/ powers. Why didn't /I/ see that?!" But as she screamed, she made her way upstairs and began collecting her stuff from the stolen bedroom, too upset (thankfully) to take anything that didn't belong to her. 

As her rambling became muffled, Pietro literally glowed and became his normal, hyper self. "Did you guys /see/ that?! That felt so good! It was great! Refreshing! Totally better than sex!" 

Lance's eyes widened in fear. It was bad enough that Tabby tramped into their home; it would be worse if she trampled into his and Pietro's relationship. Especially the sex. "Hey!" 

At the same time, Todd's eyes widened too. In utter delight. "Yo, can I hit her too?" 

"--and further more, there was no /way/ you could've pulled off that stunt last month without me, so you obvious can't survive without me!" And there she was, glory be. All packed up, bundled up, and ready to ship out. "Have I made myself clear?!" 

"Crystal," murmured Lance, grabbing the blonde by the arm and guiding her out. "Don't let the door hit your sagging ass on the way out." 

Tabby's epression twisted and flipped Avalanche the bird. "And to think I put up with a bunch of fags for the last year." And, finally, she was out of their lives. 

All of a sudden, a choir of mental angels singing Hallelujah filled the minds of the Brotherhood. 

...And Lance's head took salvation in the crook of his arms once he sat back down, sighing largely with relief... and unrequited anger. _Who ever heard of a prejudice mutant?! My god, she's so backwards._

Pietro pursed his lips together and ignored Todd's 'happy dance', electing to rub Lance's back instead. "Okay, so we're rid of the evil bitch. Now what?" 

"Who cares!" Toad bounded over the obstable that was known as the Blob and landed on the table, grinning foolishly. "She's gone! Which means we can scratch ourselves anyin any room of the whole house, belch loudly without excusing ourselves, and walk around in our underwear again. Life is /perfect/!" 

Lance chuckled wealky and lifted his head up. "Ah, the man's world. God, I've missed it." It was then that the leader of the small group noticed how silence Fred had become. The mohawked blonde was frowning and gazing out the small, kitchen window. "Hey, Fred, you okay?... You're not missing her or anything, are you?" 

"Huh?" The obese teen blinked and looked back at Lance. "Oh. No. God, no. Never. Never gonna miss her." 

"Then... what? It's not that 'fat' thing she said, was it? You know girls, they look for the beauty on the outside and could care less for the inside." 

Freddy shook his head. "A bit of that, maybe, but no, not that. I was thinking of Mystique." 

Well, that caught Todd and Pietro's attention. The Blob may not be the smartest person on the world.. or even the house, but his moments shined at times. 

"She may not have been the greatest person we ever had, but she was the backbone, along with Magneto. And.. we've done fine on our own so far, but things are getting worse. We know she's alive, somewhere, but she hasn't come back. ....I know this sounds stupid, but maybe the reason she never came back was because of Tabby... or something." 

Todd clacked his tongue. "Nah, man. If Mystique ever found Tabby here, especially using /her/ room, she'd flip, yo." 

"Besides," said Pietro, frowning. "She was sorta.... betrayed by Magneto with the whole Asteroid M trials. She might not have come back was because she's rethinking her priorities about him. And since were /are/ what Magneto constructed through him, she may have abandoned us." 

That was a hard fact to swallow. Hell, even Lance want Mystique and her all-high-and-mighty attitude back, just so they could have a real purpose. 

Todd blinked in realization. "Woah.. Back up. Guys, now that Tabby's gone, that room is open." 

That got quiet stares. Yeah, the bedroom fit for a thousand kings was open to claim... but somehow, the thought of taking it with Tabitha's stench still fresh in it was uninviting. Besides... it was probably better to leave it alone, just incase Miss Darkholme ever came back. 

Lance shook his head. "Let's leave it alone. It's not fair anyway." 

And reluctantly, the others agreed. 

* * *

The weather was frigid this far north, she thought, thanking that Taxi driver as she paid him, who returned it in kind and drove away, leaving the woman and her luggage on the sidewalk at her wish. 

_If only I had known sooner... It wasn't fair to them, Raven._

She scooped up the three bags with a gentle care and started on the path to her new life. She stopped though, right before a young girl stormed out of the house with the same numbers on the address in her coat pocket. Fate was smiling, as she had come at the right time. 

Once the girl was far enough away, she continued on her way. It wasn't long before she reached the door and rapped on it a few times. 

A few moments past before a young man opened the door, a flash of annoyance swiftly becoming puzzled as he eyed the new woman. "If you're selling, we don't want anything." 

She smiled with humor and shook her head, brown hair waving as she did so. "No, no. I'm not. I was sent here, actually. To help you." 

"Ehh..." The boy blinked, uncertain, until another pair of eyes appeared of his shoulder, where the first teen regained his composition. "Can I ask who you are?" 

"My name is Irene Adler... and Raven Darkhome asked for me to look after the Brotherhood in her absence." 

* * *

@_T**** *burns the words 'fag' with Pyro's flamethrower* I /hate/ that word. 

:D I liked Irene, darnit. She was cool and spiffy! What she really needs is another episode to be in... and what they really need to do is make the show an hour long instead of half an hour. ^_^ That's my Christmas wish. 

... x.;; It's still an icky chapter, but I have decided! :B I'm most likely not going to keep the story focused /completely/ on Warren. He's a key player, yes, but I want to develop it past just a relationship-building story. ^.@; Only because I've given tedious amounts of thought to the whole story and *dun dun duuuuh* have pushed it past just two boys eventually ending up in each others' pants. XD Now scowl me for giving the damn story a real plot instead of a pseudo one. 

.... ={ Can't I just skip the next parts and get to the ones I want to? ;.; Like Christmas break and the br--- o.O shit, no. Noooooo spoiling. :B Of course, you probably know what I'm gonna do. 


End file.
